What if Andrew Johnson assassinated on same night as Lincoln?

While watching "Killing Lincoln", I wondered what would happen if the conspiracy had been more successful? Perhaps if a more determined assassin had been assigned to kill Vice-President Johnson, and had succeeded. How would President (formerly Speaker of the House) Schuyler Colfax's administration have been different? Would the legitimacy of his Presidency have been questioned due to the unprecedented nature of reaching the office?
 
Unfortunately under the then succession law the President Pro tem of the Senate, I think a relative moderate, would be President.

Fortunately there would be an election that November.

My guess is that there would be a lot of anger and that it is likely that the new President would call the New Congress to deal with the crisis.

I hope that there would be an earlier and more competent radical reconstruction under whoever is elected in November 1865
 
So US Grant would be President 1866-74 instead of 1869-77, and subsequest Presidential terms would begin and end accordingly.

The 14th and 15th Amendments probably go through much as we remember tham, but until public opinion is ready to get serious about enforcement, probably not a lot changes except the names of one or two POTUSs.
 
All, hail Acting President Lafayette Foster, may he serve wisely for the next 11 months before being replaced by Grant. The biggest long term effect is Presidential election years are now one year off, which doesn't seem like a lot, but it is an eternity in politics.
 
All, hail Acting President Lafayette Foster, may he serve wisely for the next 11 months before being replaced by Grant. The biggest long term effect is Presidential election years are now one year off, which doesn't seem like a lot, but it is an eternity in politics.

butterflies. James A. Garfield's or McKinley's assassination might be butterflied away, changing the course of history.

Hell, Garfield might not even get the Republican nomination.
 
butterflies. James A. Garfield's or McKinley's assassination might be butterflied away, changing the course of history.

Hell, Garfield might not even get the Republican nomination.

Hmm, and thinking about it, there's no more Presidential coattails. Every Congressional election is an off-cycle year. There will be some natural selection in Congress as weaker candidates flounder on their own merit.
 
Top